The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-21
bR0SSu HOWARD.


Warden Howard had a captaincy in an In
diana regiment. He was tried by court
martial and ordered to be shot for uttering
disloyal sentiments, but President Lincoln
saved his life and dismissed him from the
service" In Gen. w. Fl. Fl. Terrell's report,
Vol. 3, roster of officers, Page SO, is the list
of officers of the Eighty first Regiment In
diana Volunteers. In it we find this entry:
ANDREW ). Howard, residence Jefferson
vile, date of commission Aug. IA, 1862, dis
missed by President July g. 1868, for utter
ing disloyal sentiments" This, then, is the
war record of the man whose name has sud-
denly become the synonym of infamy by the
disclosures at the Jeffersonvile prison.
Howard was doubtless one of those Demo
Gratis who, in a moment of temporary patriot
ism, enlisted in support of the Union cause,
but whose pro-slavery Democracy soon got
the better of his loyalty and made him fit
subject for military punishment. If he had
been shot the State would probably have
been saved its present disgrace, for it is
hardly possible the Democratic party would
have found another man so thoroughly unfit
for warden as he has proved to be. 1t seems
| the very irony Of fate that President Lncolns
| kind but misplaced leniency should have
| been the means in after years of inficting
| extra punishment on Indana's convicts
and load of disgrace OH the State itself
scarcely equaled in the history of public cor
ruption.
| 1t is not the magnitude of the deficit or the
money loss that constitutes the worst feature
| Of the case. shortage of $4,000 is bad
enough, but it will not bankrupt the State.
| 1t is more than the people can afford to lose,
though not more than they could easily afford
| to pay in good cause or for value received.
| But it is not the money loss that hurts. It is
the shocking disclosure Of long-continued
Encouragement, of universal rottenness, of
favoritism and jcbbery, of indiscriminate
plundering from the public and from private
citizens, and of system of robbery that levied
on everything and everybody, from the State
treasury to the convict in his cell, compelling
the people to contribute of their abundance
and the convict of his poverty.
But the use to which the money was put
was even worse than the way it was obtained
1t is now known that this man Howard has
for years past been the worst kind of political
manager, squandering for the basest pur-
poses money obtained by the basast means.
lie has used the peoples money to corrupt
the peoples government. Under the con-
venient guise of Democratic office-holder and
political manager he has made his corrupting
influence felt in all the channels of politics,
from Jacksonville to indianapolis, and from
primary meetings to the General Assembly.
AS in his stealings, so in his political schemes,
nothing was too small to attract him nor an "
thing so large as to deter him. He tackled
everything and touched nothing that he did
not corrupt.
Yet bad as Howard is, there is this to be sale
in his favor: he is not as bad as the system he
represents. He is simply the product
of a system that is worse than he.
With the natural instincts of Demo
crat and with the impetus Of dismissal from
the army in 1868, it was to be expected thai
Howard would become very bad man in the
course of twenty years, but he never could
have become as great power for evil without
l the help Of his party's system in politics. Ht
J was suited to the Democracy; the Democrat,
were suited to him. Having obtained his APP
pointment III the first instance without an,
other qualification or claim than that of a DO
litical boss, it was natural he should admins
ter the Office and manage the prison on tn
principles of political bossism. This was wha
his party expected and what he had virtual,
: promised to do. The carrying out of this un
derstanding involved policy that meant tn
continued decentralization of the prison, con
slant going from bad to worse As the priso
/. was sin politics" it must be kept there, an
the only way to keep it there was to 90 i
deeper and deeper. The results are before tn
J people, 1t is too late to reform Jack Howard
but the system that produced him and whic
Q he has aided so largely in developing can b
VI reformed. The Democracy cannot be above
. to retain control of any of the State institr
TONS The Democratic party must Away
!. be handcuffed to be at all safe.
|